Acts 5
from Perfectly Imperfect Together Hosted by Perfectly Imperfect Together
In Acts 5, after Barnabas had sold some land and given all the proceeds to the congregation to help meet the needs of the people, Ananias and his wife wanted to do the same. They sold a piece of property claiming that they too were giving it all to the church. They were pridefully trying to "look" generous, when truthfully they had kept some of the proceeds for themselves. The Lord did not ask for this offering. The church didn't ask for this offering. People were giving because they wanted to give, it's not a requirement. They were trying to look "good" to the other people and were lying to themselves, to the apostles, to the people of the congregation, and worst of all - they were lying to the Lord. The Lord doesn't ask us to pretend to follow Him. He doesn't force us to surrender to Him as Lord of all. He invites us. He doesn't want us to pretend we are following Him wholeheartedly while secretly trying to please the people around us. He knows all. He invites us to trust Him with all. He invites us to trust His love, trust His faithfulness, trust His goodness, and trust His promises. There are no secrets with the Lord. He is concerned about our hearts above all else.
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